Malta: Bells v. Ballots

Malta is a special landmark in Christian
history,* and the Roman Catholic hierarchy has always played a weighty
role in the island's affairs (present population: 330,000, of whom 98%
are Catholic).
But in recent times, as last week's elections again demonstrated, the
church's influence has been challenged sharply by the Maltese Labor
Party and its leader, Dom Mintoff, a Rhodes scholar who once studied
for the priesthood.